5 Positive Stories #1

With so much negativity clogging up my Twitter feed on a daily basis, it’s no wonder social media was leaving me feeling deflated. Although I try not to take too much notice of gossip magazines and politics, those are the stories that keep being pushed to the forefront. Body shaming from one corner and brexit from the other.

Aren’t we all sick of it by now?

In an effort to feel and spread more positivity, I thought I’d share some stories that have made me happy recently. So here’s to proving that not all news is bad news.

1. Grandson uses doodles to help illiterate Grandmother

I thought this was a lovely story to begin my positive list with. If only people helped each other like in this heartwarming story, the world would be a happier place.

A man called Pedro Ortega has been drawing pictures to help his illiterate grandmother learn the names in her address book. His grandmother left school at the age of 8 (!) to work in a bakery to provide for her family and never learnt to read or write.

Pedro realised that his Grandma loved phoning her friends and family but couldn’t read the names next to the numbers in her phone book so he decided to make it easier for her.

He created a small book of doddles next to each phone number which helped his Grandma associate these with a family member or friend.

The doodles have gone viral and you can see why. It’s something so simple yet thoughtful. Read more here

2. Gay teacher launches network to support LGBT teachers

Daniel Gray, a teacher in North London, not only created a platform and online community for LGBT teachers but came out as gay at a school assembly in front of all his colleagues and students.

The assembly inspired his pupils who said they felt more comfortable talking about sexuality and several have approached their teacher to say how the assembly changed their life. The online community LGBTed was launched in June and met with a positive response.I thought this was a timely story due to Pride taking place in several cities last weekend. Although we’ve come a long way with our attitudes towards gay rights, we still have a long way to go and this story is one to be celebrated. Read the full story here.

3. Music festivals to provide plastic vending machines this summer

This story is one that should be shared everywhere. Plastic wastage is a massive problem and is damaging our planet at an alarming rate. Music festivals are a hive of empty plastic wastage so the fact that they are taking action to stop this is brilliant.

The Co-op are trailing this initiative at Reading and Leeds festival later this month after it’s appearance at Latitude and Download festival. If you recycle a bottle, the machine will give you a voucher to spend at Co-op. To me it seems like a genius idea. Lets hope it’s rolled out across all festivals soon. Read more here.

4. Hiker carries a dog 6 miles down a mountain

Tia Vargus was hiking through the Grand Tetons in Wyoming when she found a Springer Spaniel in her path who seemed to be limping. With the owners nowhere to be found, she carried the dog 6 miles down the mountain through rain and snow.

Once at the bottom of the mountain, Tia spotted a lost dog poster and contacted the owners with the good news. The owners were ecstatic and couldn’t believe their dog had been found. They explained he had fallen off a 100-foot cliff and rolled 200 more feet down the mountain! The family had rushed to find him, but he was nowhere to be found.

I love stories where owners get reunited with their pets especially when it’s as shocking and unexpected as this one! Read the full story here.

5. Man travels to 50 states to mow lawns for those in need

Kindness is a massively underrated quality and humans who do things out of the kindness of their heart should definitely be celebrated.

Rodney Smith is travelling all over America to mow lawns for the elderly, disabled, single mums and veterans for free. That’s what makes this so special. The guy doesn’t want to make a quick buck out of this, he genuinely wants to help those worse off than himself.

Smith went on to create the Raising Men Lawn Care Service (RMLCS), based in Alabama. The organisation mentors children, creates fee jobs in yard maintenance and teaches them about serving their communities and lawn mower safety.

Inspiring people like that helps inspire others to become great. Read more about the story here.

So that’s my round up of 5 inspiring stories of this week. Please let me know if you enjoyed this feature in the comments below or leave me a message on Facebook or Twitter.